


Shadows and Sunshine

by tayryn



Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Older Woman/Younger Man, Skyfall References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 21:15:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13256769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tayryn/pseuds/tayryn
Summary: As the events of Skyfall unfold, Bond and M work to find their way back to each other, and out of the shadows that have dominated their lives.





	Shadows and Sunshine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AbbyGibbs](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbbyGibbs/gifts).



> Sequel to [ In the Shadows](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1155385/chapters/2343510)
> 
> I probably could have broken it up into a series of smallish chapters, but I decided to just give it to you all at once. :)

She walked down the long corridor, her heels clicking loudly on the hard tiled floor, echoing off the walls around her, the sound strangely comforting.

‘You’re sentimental about him.’

Mallory’s words repeated in her mind.

It wasn’t his words that troubled her. No. It had been the look in his eyes as he’d said them that troubled her.

A look that made it seem as if he knew something. As if he knew about her and James.

Olivia shook her head.

It couldn’t be that.

She and James had been extremely careful.

Even Tanner, who usually caught onto everything, was still in the dark as to the precise nature of her and James’ relationship.

They had taken extra precautions to ensure that was the case.

No longing looks, no ‘accidental’ touching, no emergency bodyguard duties. Nothing. It was too risky.

The Bahamas.

The thought whispered in her mind, and she stopped in her tracks as she remembered the conference she’d been forced to attend with Mallory several months ago.

A smile came unbidden.

The conference where James had surprised her by showing up in her hotel suite.

The night they’d admitted to each other that they were in love.

She shook her head again before she resumed walking down the corridor. They’d been extremely careful that weekend also; taking care that Mallory and James did not meet.

The balcony, the voice whispered again, and this time Olivia felt her entire body flush.

She and James had made love out on the veranda without a care in the world; so lost in each other and what they felt for each other.

“Fuck!” Olivia swore under her breath, then frowned.

There was no way Mallory had seen them. And she hadn’t seen anyone out on the grounds either when they’d been out there. Although, she mused, they had been otherwise occupied, and not paying any real attention to their surroundings.

Shit.

_Had_ Mallory seen them?

She flushed again.

Christ, I hope not, Olivia thought, as she reached the locker room

She gave a cursory knock on the door, then entered the room to find the object of her thoughts pulling his jacket on.

“Was there something else you needed, M?” James asked.

The flat tone of his voice hit her like a punch to the gut.

“I wanted to see you before you left.”

“Why?”

Olivia looked steadily at him until James gave a slight nod of understanding.

She had expected this initial reaction, and had not expected him to be warm and welcoming, knowing he was only reacting to her chilly reception the other night in her flat when he’d finally shown up. She knew he was still angry with her. She was angry with him as well. But it still hurt.

This was not how they were with each other. Yes, they fought – quite passionately, as they did everything – but they were never cold, never distant.

It hurt, and made her heart ache.

They needed to talk. Needed to clear the air so they could get their relationship back on track, and get back to them.

She missed him. 

She missed them.

Sadly, now was not the time for such a conversation. He was leaving shortly on assignment.

And that was why she wanted to see him, needed to see him. To try to at least put a plaster on the hurt until they could treat it properly. She needed him to focus on the assignment so that he would come home to her. And then… then they could heal their wounded hearts.

“Mallory’s comment in your office…” his voice trailed off as she nodded.

“I suspect he knows about us.” 

“You don’t look worried.”

Olivia shrugged as she crossed the room to stand in front of him. She placed a hand on his chest, then reached up with her other hand to curl it around the back of his head. She drew his head down as she rose up on her toes.

“I’m not,” she whispered against his lips before pressing her lips firmly against his.

He did not immediately respond; his mouth rigid beneath hers as she moved her lips over his, and so she slid her hand down to cradle his jaw, and stroked the corner of his mouth with her thumb.

She moaned softly when his lips parted beneath hers, and he began to kiss her back. His hands grabbed hold of her hips, and he pulled her closer as he slipped his tongue into her mouth.

The tender kiss quickly deepened; their arms wrapping around each other, holding each other tight.

When the kiss finally came to an end, James rested his forehead against hers, and asked softly, “Does this mean I’m forgiven?”

“It means I love you,” she replied in an equally soft voice, then tilted her head back to meet his eyes. “I know you’re hurt, and I know you’re angry. So am I. And I know we need to talk.”

“But now is not a good time.”

“Unfortunately, no,” Olivia told him. “Finding out who is behind stealing that hard drive is top priority.”

James nodded his understanding.

“When you get back, we’ll have that talk.”

“Okay,” James replied. “Olivia?”

“Yes?”

“May I kiss you again?”

“Yes,” she whispered, then sighed when his mouth covered hers again.

They clutched each other tightly as they kissed hungrily, passionately; pouring everything they felt into the kiss.

When they parted minutes later, both were breathing heavily.

“I love you, too…” James breathed across her lips.

Olivia felt tears prick her eyes unbidden, and blinked them away. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I promise.”

They shared another quick kiss before they stepped out of each other’s arms.

“Has Tanner told you where to meet the new Quartermaster?” she asked, as they made their way to the door.

“Not yet,” James replied, as he opened the door for her, then followed her out into hall. “I’m on my way to speak with him now.”

“Good.”

“What’s the new Quartermaster like?” James asked.

“He’s no Geoffrey Boothroyd, but I think given time he’ll grow into the role,” Olivia answered.

“That means he’s young.” James scowled.

“They’re all young, James.”

“True.”

“You were young once yourself,” she pointed out.

“Feels like decades ago.”

“I know the feeling,” she said with a deep sigh, then allowed a small smile to grace her lips when she felt his fingers brush hers.

“Are we going to be okay?” James asked, turning to face her.

Olivia looked up at him. “If we trust in what we feel for each other, yes. We’ll be okay.”

James nodded, his eyes softening as he gazed steadily into hers. “We’ll be okay.”

“Yes… we will,” she whispered.

James brushed his fingers against hers once more, but approaching footsteps kept him from lacing them together.

They each took a step back, putting further distance between them just as Tanner came around the corner.

“007, I was just coming to see you,” Tanner said, as he approached, a folded piece of paper clutched in his hand. He held it out to the agent once he reached them. “Our new Quartermaster will meet you there in an hour.”

“Thank you,” James said, taking the paper. He opened it, read it over, then slipped it into his pocket. “The National Museum?”

Tanner shrugged. “Q’s choice.”

James looked at Olivia.

She shrugged.

“I know. He’s young,” he said, and she nodded, smiling just a little.

James smirked, then with a nod to both of them, stepped around Tanner.

Olivia watched him walk away. “007,” she called out to him. He stopped, and looked back at her. “Be careful.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied with a small smile and a nod.

Her eyes remained on him until he disappeared around the corner, and she only just stopped herself from sighing deeply.

He was going to be all right.

He was going to be all right, and he’d come home to her, and they would talk.

They would talk, and everything between them would be as it was.

Olivia shook her head. 

No, she thought. Things would be better.

That thought filled her with hope, and made her feel better than she had in months.

She glanced at her Chief of Staff. “Well, Tanner, shall we get back to work?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

**~*007*~**

With one final look at the former agent in the glass cell, Olivia turned on her heel, and walked out of the detention room; Bond and Tanner falling into step behind her.

“Let me know what you recover from his computer. Has he transmitted the lists? If so, to whom? I want this resolved,” she ordered, as she walked briskly between the row of desks, heading for the doors leading out of the detention area.

“Yes, ma’am,” Bond replied.

She could feel James’ eyes boring into her, and even without seeing his face, she knew what thoughts were running through his head.

He deserved an explanation.

He was the one who had gone after Silva, after all. And he was the one who had brought him in.

She slowed, then stopped just as she reached the doors. She waited until Tanner had moved to stand in the doorway, then turned to meet James’ gaze.

“His name is Tiago Rodriguez. He was a brilliant agent, but he started operating beyond his brief, hacking the Chinese. The handover was coming up, and they were on to him, so I gave him up. I got six agents in return and a peaceful transition.”

Olivia held his eyes, willing him to see that this situation was not the same as what had happened in Turkey. 

“We should go, ma’am. The Board of Inquiry begins in thirty minutes,” Tanner reminded her.

She continued to hold James’ eyes. “I want to know what’s on that computer.”

Olivia saw the understanding in his eyes, as well as the silent acknowledgement of her order, and knew he would do all he could to carry it out.

She gave him a barely imperceptible nod before she turned, and walked through the door; grateful that he understood the situation in Hong Kong twenty years ago was different.

She also knew they still needed to talk.

After the inquiry, Olivia promised herself. They’d talk tonight.

**~*007*~**

Olivia stared at the car, then lifted her gaze to James, a frown on her face.

“Oh, and I suppose that’s completely inconspicuous.”

James gestured to the car. “Get in.”

Olivia made a face, then walked over to the passenger side of the car. James met her at the door. “James,” she began, laying her hand on his arm. “I…”

He shook his head, lifting his hand to cup the side of her face. “Not yet.” He stroked his thumb over her cheek. “Wait until we’re out of London. I’d like to put some distance between us and that madman trying to take you away from me.”

She swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat, and nodded. “All right.”

He brushed his thumb over her lips, before removing his hand. He stepped around her and opened the door.

She smiled her thanks as she climbed into the car.

James closed the door behind her. Moments later, his door opened, and he climbed in as well.

Once both had their seat belts on, James released the parking brake, put the Aston in first gear, then drove out of the storage garage.

“James!” Olivia looked at him, half-turning in her seat, and pointing over her shoulder behind her. “The door!”

“It’s okay. There’s nothing of any real importance in there,” he replied, as he turned out of the alley onto the pavement. He met her eyes, as he shifted into the next gear. “Really, Olivia. It’s fine.”

She nodded, then settled back into her seat. “It’s not very comfortable, is it?” she asked a few moments later.

His hand moved to the gear stick, and he flipped the top of it open, revealing a red button. “Are you going to complain the whole way?”

“Oh go on, then. Eject me. See if I care,” Olivia retorted, finding the smirk that curled the corner of his mouth a small comfort.

James snapped the cover closed, then returned his hand to the steering wheel.

They exchanged a few more words, then fell into a comfortable silence until they were on the motorway.

After several kilometres, Olivia reached out to lay her hand on top of James’ hand where it was resting on top of the shift.

A small shudder passed through her when James laced their fingers together.

“Mallory saved my life,” she said softly, finally breaking the silence. In the darkness, she saw James glance at her. “When Silva burst into the inquiry. He held his gun on me,” she explained. “Mallory grabbed me from behind just as Silva pulled the trigger. It was enough to move me out of the path of the bullet, but he took it in the shoulder.”

James tightened his fingers around hers. “Remind me to thank the man when this is all over.”

“I wasn’t scared,” she whispered a few moments later.

“What?”

“When Silva was pointing his gun in my face; I wasn’t scared,” she replied. “Not of dying at any rate. No. What frightened me more than anything was, that if he did shoot me, I would die before you and I got to fix things between us. That I would die without you knowing how very much I love you. And yet I knew, without a doubt, that you would be there.”

“I’m just sorry I did not get there sooner, or kill Silva,” he said. “As for the other matter.” He looked over at her as he lifted their joined hands to his lips, and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “I know you love me. I have never doubted that.”

“…James…”

He pressed another kiss to her hand, then turned his in her grasp so he was holding it properly, and rested their joined hands in his lap.

“Looks like we’re having that talk now.”

“It seems so,” she agreed.

“I know that shot was not meant for me,” James began. “I know that.”

“But you were angry at me for telling Eve to take it.”

“Eve?”

“The agent in Istanbul with you. The young woman who shot you.”

“Ah. Yes, I was angry at you for telling Eve to take that shot. I only needed another minute, and I would have had that hard drive,” he told her, then admitted, “I also knew it was a call you had to make.”

“I didn’t want to make it. I sent you after that hard drive for a reason. You’re my best agent, James. You get things done when no one else can. I knew… I _knew_ that given that minute, you would have got the drive, but I couldn’t give it to you. And when Eve’s voice came over the speaker, saying you’d been shot, I died inside.

“I kept the search teams out for as long as I could, and once the official search was ended, I continued it unofficially. Out of my own pocket,” she told him. “I had to know. Because as long as there was no body, there was still a chance you were alive. And then they found you…”

“Shacked up with Romina,” he said in a flat voice.

“Yes.” She tried, but failed to hide the hurt in her voice.

“I’m sorry, Olivia.” James’ fingers tightened around hers as he apologized.

“I know.”

“It doesn’t make it any easier, does it?”

“No,” she admitted.

James having sex while on assignment was one thing. She knew it meant nothing to him; that it was simply a means to an end; a quick and easy way of obtaining information.

But this…

“I didn’t know who I was when I slept with Romina,” he told her.

“I know, James.”

He glanced sharply at her, then nodded. “Right. The unofficial search.”

“Yes.”

“Then you’re aware that as soon as I remembered who I was, remembered who you were and what we are to each other, I stopped having sex with her.”

Olivia nodded.

“That still doesn’t make it easier, does it?”

“It does a little,” she replied, then said quietly, “But you stayed.”

James looked confused. “What?”

“After you remembered, you stayed. You didn’t come home. You stayed in Turkey.”

“I was angry. And I realize now, I was hurt.”

“So that was your way of punishing me.” It was more a statement than a question, but he answered anyway.

“I did not realize it at the time, but yes… that’s exactly what I was doing,” he replied. “Then I saw the news about the explosion at Six, and my heart jumped into my throat. I realized what a prat I was being, and was on the next flight home. The idea that you could be dead…”

“Hurt like hell, didn’t it?”

“Yes.” He glanced at her again. “You go through that each time, don’t you?”

“Yes.” Olivia nodded. “Each and every time you’re on assignment, every time I hear you’ve been hurt, or worse, that you’ve been killed and assumed dead.”

“How do you do it?”

“Years of practice,” she answered. “It also helps that you have an uncanny knack of defying the odds, and coming back to me alive. A little worse for the wear, yes, but alive nonetheless.”

“I’ll always do my damndest to come back to you.”

“Even when you’re pissed off at me?”

James couldn’t help the smirk that came to his lips. “Even then.”

An echoing smirk ghosted across her lips.

“I serve Queen and country, Olivia, but my loyalty, my devotion is to you,” James told her in a low but firm voice.

“James…” She shook her head. “No…”

“It’s true; has been for quite some time.” His fingers flexed around hers. “Even before we became lovers, and you know it.”

Olivia swallowed hard, then nodded slowly.

Yes. She knew. She’d known for some time.

And to this day, she could not fathom what she had done to earn such loyalty.

True, she’d defended him from the powers that be, and trusted in him and his judgement, even when everyone else told her she was crazy for doing so. Perhaps that was it. But she had long defended all her agents, especially those in the Double-O section.

With all they did, and had done, for Queen and country – for her – MI6’s elite group of agents deserved no less than her unwavering support. They deserved to have someone on their side, especially when it seemed the rest of the world was out to get them.

However, yes… she had a habit of protecting James more than any of the others. And she had done before they’d become lovers.

Olivia closed her eyes.

He was her favourite. Always had been; right from the start.

“I am sorry.”

His voice was soft, breaking into her thoughts.

“So am I.”

“Does this mean we’re okay?”

Olivia opened her eyes, then turned her head to look at him, waiting until he looked her way and met her eyes before she answered, “Yes.”

She saw the relief and gratitude fill his eyes in the darkened interior of the car, before he returned his attention to the road.

“Thank you,” James said, and lifted their still entwined hands to his mouth as he had done earlier, and pressed another kiss to the back of her hand.

She squeezed his fingers in response.

“Why don’t you try to get some rest,” he suggested, kissing her hand once more before lowering them back to his lap. “We’ve got several hours still until we get to where we’re going.”

“And where’s that?”

James frowned as he responded in a flat voice, “Home.”

**~*007*~**

Olivia slowly moved toward consciousness, aware of a chill in the air, of being in an uncomfortable position, and more importantly, that she was alone.

She opened her eyes, and a deep sigh escaped her.

It wasn’t just a bad dream as she’d hoped.

She tilted her head on the seat, confirming that she was alone in the Aston, then raised her seat. Once she was upright, she saw James standing several feet away, hands in his pockets, staring off into the distance.

She opened the door, rolled the blanket up (James must have covered her sometime in the night after she’d fallen asleep) as she climbed out of the car, then tossed it on the seat before closing the door.

She made her way over to stand beside him, and followed his gaze out over the valley.

“Is this where you grew up?”

James’ gaze remained focused ahead as he hummed an affirmative.

“How old were you when they died?”

“You know the answer to that,” James replied in a flat voice. “You know the whole story.”

Olivia took a deep breath, then released it in a deep sigh. So much for small talk.

Yes. She knew. Of course, she did.

“Orphans always make the best recruits.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw James quirk a small smile.

“A storm’s coming,” he said, as he turned. His eyes locked with hers briefly before he walked away.

Olivia knew he was speaking metaphorically; knew he meant the oncoming fight with Silva, and yet she could not stop herself from glancing up at the heavens. The sky seemed to be just that little darker, she thought, as if, it too, knew trouble was brewing.

A shiver ran up her spine, and she shuddered. Not for the first time wondering if perhaps they shouldn’t just make a run for it.

Forget Silva.

Forget England.

Forget everything but each other, and live the life together both wanted.

“Olivia.”

James’ call of her name drew her out of her thoughts, and she turned to look back at him

“We need to be going.”

She nodded, then began walking back to the car. “Is it much farther?”

James shook his head.

“Are you all right?” Olivia asked when she reached him.

“Yes,” James replied. “A little worried about what we’ll find when we get to Skyfall,” he admitted. “It’s been years since I’ve been back. I don’t really know what condition it’s in.”

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Olivia replied.

“I hope so,” James said, then frowned.

“What?”

“I still think we should call in some backup,” he told her. “You know as well as I do that Silva’s not coming alone.”

“I know. But no. I don’t want to risk anymore lives.”

“What about your life?”

Olivia shook her head. “It’s not important.”

“It is to me,” James said, lifting his hand to cup the side of her face. “I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”

“…James…”

Before she could say anymore, his mouth was on hers, his tongue swiping across her lips, seeking entrance. She opened her mouth to him with a loud moan as he pulled her hard against him; one hand sliding up into her hair to cradle the back of her head, the other low on her back, resting against the curve of her arse.

She was aware of him walking her backwards, felt his hands move to her waist, and then he was lifting her onto the bonnet of the Aston Martin. Without conscious thought, she wrapped her legs around him, and held him tight against her as she lost herself in his kiss.

He cupped the back of her head again as he pressed closer, leaning into her until she was lying back on the bonnet, his body covering hers. He kissed her more ardently as he began thrust firmly against her.

Olivia hummed her pleasure into his mouth. He was so hard. His chest firm against her breasts, his cock rigid against her sex, and she wanted him. She wanted him so much.

“James… we have to stop,” she pulled her mouth from his to tell him, panting softly. “I am much too old to have sex on the bonnet of your car.”

James grinned, as he looked down at her. “No you’re not, however, you’re right. Not here. Not like this. I would like a nice comfortable bed…” He glanced down between them and tugged on her jacket. “And less clothing.”

Olivia chuckled.

They shared another kiss, before James straightened up, then offered her his hand. She placed her small one in his larger one, and allowed him to help her into a sitting position.

He brushed his lips over hers once more, then gathered her into his embrace. She buried her face in his shoulder as he pressed his face into her hair.

“But, oh… it feels good to be this close to you again,” she whispered against his throat. “To feel you all around me. I’ve missed it. Missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” James murmured, nuzzling a kiss into her hair. “Maybe we should just make a run for it. The two of us swanning off for parts unknown. What do you think? Are you game?”

Olivia lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him. “I was thinking the same thing just a few minutes ago.”

“Great minds.”

“Something like that, yes,” she said, then sighed.

James rubbed his hands up and down her back. “I know. We can’t.”

“No.” She shook her head sadly. “Though it is a lovely idea.”

“When all this is over…” His voice trailed off.

“Yes.” She nodded.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, Olivia,” James promised. “And I will stop him.”

“I know,” Olivia replied in a quiet voice. “I know you will.”

They held each other’s eyes for several moments.

“We should go,” James told her.

Olivia sighed again and nodded.

**~*007*~**

“Well?”

Olivia glanced around the large room before she met James’ eyes. “We’re as ready as we can be,” he told her.

“There’s nothing else we can do?”

“Nothing but wait for Silva to get here.”

Olivia sighed deeply.

“I share your sentiment,” James said. “I hate waiting, too.”

A wry smile touched her lips, which he returned before he stepped away from her and began to move about the room.

Olivia watched him, knowing he was checking to see if there _was_ actually anything more they could do.

She knew though, just as he did, that there was nothing else.

They had done all they could with what resources they had available.

Perhaps they should have called for reinforcements.

Too late now, however, she realized. It would be just the two of them against Silva. Just as she’d instructed James when he’d kidnapped her from the inquiry. Them and…

“Where’s Kincade?” she asked.

“Out walking a perimeter,” he answered, stopping beneath one of the chandeliers. He looked over at her. “Why?” he asked, as he tilted his head back to inspect the bombs she’d made.

“Just curious,” she told him, as she let her eyes wander over him. He looked good, so very good, in his jeans.

He really was a handsome devil, Olivia though as she licked her lips, suddenly wondering if…

“And how long, do you think, until Silva gets here?” 

It was foolish, the idea that had just popped into her head. Foolish to even consider it, but considering it she was.

“If Q laid the trail properly, I would say a little over an hour,” James replied, as he walked back over to her. “Why?” he asked again, giving her a suspicious look. “What are you thinking?”

Olivia could not help chuckling, and reached out to pat his chest. “Nothing ominous, so wipe the worried look off your face,” she told him, then stepped closer, laying both hands on his chest as she rose up on her toes, and brushed her lips over his. “In fact…”

She slid her left hand up his chest, over his shoulder and around to cup the back of his head, and pulled him down into a proper kiss. As she’d known he would, James immediately wrapped his arms around her, holding her firmly against him as he kissed her back.

Olivia groaned when she felt his cock stir against her, and pressed closer, pleased when he tightened his embrace.

When the need for a proper breath became too much, and their mouths parted, Olivia stepped out of his arms.

“Olivia?” he asked, panting softly.

She gave him a heated look as she reached for his hand. “Come with me,” she said softly.

Olivia led him out of the main hall, through the front parlour, then to the study on the other side of the entrance hall.

Once inside the parlour, she turned to look at him, still holding his hand.

“I want to make love with you,” Olivia told him. “And before you say anything; no, this is not out of fear that we won’t survive this. I have faith in your abilities to protect us.”

“That’s good to know,” James remarked.

“I have never doubted you, James.”

He nodded. “I know.”

“This is simply about me wanting to be close with the man I love. Emotionally and physically. I’ve missed it. I’ve missed being with you.”

James’ eyes softened, and filled with love. “I’ve missed being with you, too. Missed being close to you.”

“Then make love to me,” Olivia told him, squeezing his hand. “I know this is not ideal, and all right, perhaps there is a touch of ‘what if this _is_ our last chance’, but it doesn’t matter. I want you. I want to be with you, and I want you to make love to me.”

James reached out to cradle her cheek, then slid his hand around to cup the back of her head, and pulled her to him. “Yes,” he murmured, as he lowered his head, capturing her mouth in a hot, hungry kiss.

Olivia whimpered her approval, and wrapped her arms around him, her fingers curling into his jacket. She moaned when he turned, and backed her up against the door.

“This isn’t working,” he grumbled after a few moments, then grabbed hold of her waist, and lifted her off her feet. “Better,” he grinned, when she wrapped her legs around his waist.

“Much,” she agreed with an answering smile, then covered his mouth with hers.

The kiss was almost brutal in its intensity; biting at each other’s lips as their desire for each other surged fiercely.

“James…” Olivia gasped. “James… the bed.”

James pulled his mouth from hers, and looked at her with clouded eyes.

“The bed. Let’s use the bed,” she told him.

He glanced to his right, to where the single bed was tucked into the corner of the parlour. He and Kincade had brought it down before they’d started securing the manor. James had hoped that Olivia would make use of it to get some proper rest, but she’d refused, telling him he needed it more than she.

Neither one of them had used it.

Until now.

“Hang on.” He wrapped one arm tightly around her back, while his other hand slid down under her arse, then he stepped away from the door, and carried her across the room.

They didn’t notice the door, not having closed properly when he’d backed her against it, open slightly. They were too lost in each other, and their need to be together.

Reaching the bed, James knelt on the edge, and lowered her down onto the mattress, stretching his body out over hers as they continued to kiss frantically.

Olivia grasped the lapels of his jacket, and tried to push it off his shoulders. “James,” she whined against his lips, and pushed at his jacket some more. “Help me.”

James nipped her bottom lip, then pushed himself up so that he was kneeling between her legs, and quickly shucked his jacket, and tossed it to the floor.

Olivia sat up, her hands pulling at, then slipping beneath his sweater to caress the hot skin of his stomach. She moaned when he lowered his head and began nibbling at her lips as he helped her out of her jacket as well.

She lowered her arms so he could remove her jacket, and the second her hands were free, she had them back under his shirt, stroking his well-muscled chest and abdomen. It wasn’t enough, she quickly realized; she wanted more, and began to push his jumper up. “Off,” Olivia mumbled. “James, take it off.”

James broke off the kiss, then grinned at her as he reached down, grabbed the bottom of his sweater, and pulled it up over his head, then tossed it aside.

“Mmm… much better,” Olivia purred, leaning in to pepper his chest with kisses.

She laved her tongue over his nipple, then gently bit it, smiling when James groaned, and she felt his fingers thread themselves in her hair. She licked and kissed her way over to his other nipple, and bestowed the same treatment to the tight bud until James tugged her head back.

Olivia smiled up at him, please to see his eyes dark with want and desire.

“Your turn,” James husked, pushing the cardigan she wore off her shoulders; her jumper followed seconds later, joining his on the floor. “Beautiful,” he murmured, his gaze focused on her lace-covered breasts.

His appreciation of her breasts never ceased to amaze her, and she reached out to tenderly cradle his cheek as he cupped her breasts in his large hands, and began fondling them.

“I know,” she began, affectionate amusement colouring her voice, as he rubbed his thumbs in tight circles against her nipples, “you love my breasts.”

James grinned. “Oh yes,” he replied, then buried his face in her cleavage. He nuzzled the soft flesh before he began kissing and licking his way to one of her nipples.

“Mmm…” Olivia moaned as he suckled her through the lace of her bra.

A few moments later, James released her nipple, then shifted off the mattress so that he was kneeling on the floor between her knees.

“Tights or stockings?” he asked, laying his hands on her knees.

“Tights.”

“Figures,” he remarked, with a mock pained expression on his face, as he slid his hands along her thighs and beneath her skirt.

Olivia could not help chuckling. “And don’t you dare ladder them!”

“Yes, ma’am,” James replied as he curled his fingers into the waistband of her tights, snagging her knickers as well. “Lift,” he commanded.

Olivia raised her hips, and James quickly and efficiently removed them.

Tossing them onto their jumpers, he then grasped her waist, and drew her closer to the edge of the mattress, then placed his hands on her knees once again, and parted her legs.

Olivia felt a rush of heat throughout her body, the sensation pooling in her sex at the desirous look on James’ face, and held her breath in anticipation. She loved when he went down on her – he was so damn good at it.

James shuffled closer, sat back on his haunches, then lowered his head. 

She gasped when he released a hot breath against her pussy before covering her with his mouth. He dragged his tongue up and down the length of her sex several times, alternating between that and sucking on her clit before finally focussing his attention on the hard sensitive bundle of nerves.

“Fuck!” Olivia groaned, and fell back on the mattress.

**~*007*~**

Pausing at the door, Kincade glanced back around the property.

They had done all they could do to prepare themselves for those people James told him were coming to kill him and Emma.

Why anyone would want to kill that lovely woman was beyond him.

He shook his head, then opened the door and walked inside the manor, closing the door behind him.

“Fuck!”

His eyes grew wide as the curse reached his ears.

That sounded like… Kincade shook his head. Surely that fine woman would not be using such language.

He’d taken only a few steps when he heard a low groan. Realizing it had come from the parlour, he looked toward the large room, and was surprised to see the door partially open. He moved closer to investigate.

Peering in, he noticed Emma lying on the small bed he and James had brought down earlier. He wondered if perhaps she was having a bad dream as she moaned again.

“…James!”

His eyes suddenly grew large, and his mouth fell open when he saw a blond head pop up from between her thighs.

“I wish we had more time so that I could make love to you properly.” Kincade heard James tell her, then watched Emma reach out to finger the hair at James’ temple as she replied, “I know. I do, too. So let’s not waste what time we do have, hmm?”

Kincade saw James smile, then lower his head once more.

He flushed at Emma’s low moan, then looked away, embarrassed.

I should not be watching this, Kincade thought, even as he turned back to the couple inside the parlour.

He’d wondered at their relationship; wondered why James was so protective of the older woman, and had thought perhaps James looked to her as the mother he had lost.

Judging by what he was witnessing now, no… James did not think of Emma as his mother.

“Oh god…”

He now realized why James was so determined to protect her.

“James… James…”

Kincade’s eyes widened when Emma’s upper body suddenly arched up off the mattress as she cried out James’ name.

“Damn,” he swore under his breath.

**~*007*~**

Olivia’s head fell back against the bed.

“Christ, you’re going to be the death of me,” she told him, panting for breath, and felt him chuckle against her as he continued to lazily lick her sensitive flesh.

Another small tremor shook her body when he sucked gently on her clit.

Her fingers gripped his hair, and she tugged lightly. “James.”

He nodded, then kissed the inside of each of her thighs before rising up on his knees. He released the button on his jeans, then carefully eased the zipper down over his straining cock.

Olivia sat up, peppering his chest with kisses, as she slid her hands inside his jeans, and helped him push them and his underwear down over his hips and arse. She glanced down and licked her lips at the sight of his engorged cock, then reached between then to wrap her hand around him.

She stroked his length lightly.

“If you don’t want this to end before it begins, you’ll stop that,” James told her, even as he thrust into her touch.

Olivia chuckled. “Oh, I know you have much better control than that, 007,” she replied, curling her palm over the head of his cock, smoothing the pre-cum down his shaft.

“Not where you’re concerned, ma’am,” James returned with a grin, groaning when she reached lower to fondle his balls.

“Smooth talker.”

It was James’ turn to laugh softly, as he grabbed hold of her hips, and tugged her to the edge of the bed as he shuffled closer. “Put me inside you,” he said, all trace of humour gone from his voice.

Heat suffused her body at his words, and she nodded, running the head of his cock up and down between the lips of her sex before placing him at her entrance.

James leaned his forehead against hers, as both dropped their gazes, watching as he pressed forward, sliding his cock into her hot, wet pussy.

“Oh, James…” she gasped, grasping his hips once he was fully inside her, holding him still to allow her body to adjust to him. “Oh, I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too,” he whispered, then caught her lips in a loving kiss, as he began to rock gently.

Olivia wrapped her legs loosely around his thighs, as she ran her hands over him, caressing his arms, his sides and his back. She couldn’t touch him enough; wanting and needing to feel his hot, firm flesh.

“No…” James murmured against her lips, before he pulled away. “No. This isn’t working.”

“James?” Olivia whimpered when he withdrew without warning.

“This isn’t working for me,” he told her, then got to his feet.

He toed off his boots, then kicked off his jeans and underwear so that he was standing naked before her.

Olivia raked her eyes over him, licking her lips when she came to his cock – hard and glistening with her cream. And seated on the edge of the bed as she was, his cock was at the perfect height for her to…

“Olivia…” James shook his head in warning, then groaned when she leaned forward, and took him into her mouth. “Oh fuck… Olivia!” he groaned, as she slid her hand over his hip to curl around the cheek of his arse, her other hand encircling the base of his cock. He reached out to grasp her head in his hands, thrusting gently into her mouth at her encouragement.

She hummed her delight.

**~*007*~**

Kincade’ mouth fell open, and he unconsciously reached down to adjust himself as he watched James and Emma.

He swallowed hard. 

He hadn’t expected Emma to… that she would be the sort of woman who would… he swallowed again when he felt his own cock twitch in response to the sight.

“Stop.” Kincade heard James say, and watched as he gently eased her back, then caressed her lips with his thumb. “Not like this.”

“No. Not like this,” Olivia agreed, and Kincade watched as she placed a kiss to the head of James’ erection, then laid back on the bed, and held her hand out to him.

Kincade’s eyes remained focused on the couple as James joined her on the bed, then much to his surprise, instead of lying on top of her, he stretched out beside Emma, and pulled her on top of him.

His eyes widened when Emma sat up, straddling James. Earlier, all he’d had was a side view of the woman, but now… now he could see more of her. Her skirt was bunched up, hiding her lower body from view, but her breasts were what had his attention. Covered in simple black lace, they were a sight to behold. Kincade found himself envying the younger man, even more so when he reached up to take Emma’s breasts in his hands.

**~*007*~**

Olivia smiled down at James as he squeezed and fondled her breasts, and rocked against him, enjoying the feeling of his cock sliding between the lips of her pussy.

“Olivia,” James groaned, his hands dropping to her hips.

She chuckled, then rose up on her knees, as she reached under her skirt to grasp his cock and place him at her entrance as she had earlier.

Their eyes locked as she slowly sank down on him, moaning as she felt him filling and stretching her once again. She circled her hips, then began to rock against him, subtly moving him in and out of her body.

“That’s it,” James encouraged her, holding tight to her hips as she continued to ride him.

“Mmm… yes,” Olivia moaned when he thrust up into her.

She could feel the tension building, the fierce flutters of sensation growing stronger with every glide of his prick inside her, but it wasn’t enough, not with what time they had left before Silva arrived. She needed to come, and to make him come as well.

Olivia lowered herself down so that her upper body was pressed against his, her mouth latching onto his in a hungry kiss as she continued to rock her hips against his, the change allowing her clit to rub deliciously against his pelvis.

James curled his hands around her arse, guiding her movements as he lifted his hips, moving his cock in and out of her.

“Oh god…” Olivia gasped into his mouth, feeling the pleasure grow. She was close, so very close. It would not take much to bring her to orgasm.

James sensed this, and began to thrust faster, pulling her hard against him, increasing the friction against her clit.

“Yes. Oh yes, James…” she cried out, as she met his every thrust. Seconds later, she buried her face in his shoulder, whimpering as she came, her body shuddering as the spasms rippled through her.

James wrapped his arms around her, fighting to keep himself from coming as he felt her inner walls quivering around his cock. His control, however, was precarious at best, and knowing he wouldn’t last much longer, and knowing they really did not have much time left, James rolled them over, pressing her body into the mattress.

Olivia moaned, and wrapped her legs around him as he began to drive into her. The pulses of her orgasm continued, his almost desperate movements prolonging her pleasure as he sought his own.

His mouth sought hers, kissing her deeply as he thrust heavily into her.

“James!” she gasped out of the kiss, when he reached back to slip his arm behind her knee, and pressed her leg towards her chest, sinking deeper inside her with each thrust.

“God, Olivia… I’m…” he panted.

“I know,” she replied, running her hands up his arms to his shoulders, one hand moving up to cradle the side of his face. She clenched her inner muscles around his cock as she ordered, “Come!”

“Fuck!” James swore, as his hips jerked.

Olivia rocked her hips up into his thrust

“Shit! Oh god…” he grunted as he came, spurting deep inside her. “Olivia…” he moaned, his hips moving against her once again, pleased when he felt her body quake beneath his with another, smaller orgasm.

His arms shaking, James released her leg, then lowered himself into her embrace. He pressed his lips to the smooth skin behind her ear, as he closed his eyes, reveling in the lingering rapturous feelings of his orgasm.

They lay together for several minutes, their hearts slowly returning to normal along with their breathing.

“Mmm…” Olivia hummed, and nuzzled his temple as she stroked his damp back. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I needed so much to be with you.”

James kissed her shoulder before he raised himself up onto his elbows, and gazed down at her. He stroked the sides of her face with his fingers. “I needed that, too.”

They stared at one another, losing themselves in the shared feelings they could see in each other’s eyes; both all too aware that time was running out.

He ducked his head, brushing his lips over hers. “As much as I would love to stay like this, my arse is getting cold.”

Olivia laughed, her eyes filling with mirth, as she reached down to caress the cheeks of his arse. “Well, we can’t have that. After all it’s such a gorgeous arse.”

James snorted. “Witch!” 

He kissed her again, then with much reluctance withdrew his now soft cock from her body, and pushed himself up off the bed. He held his hand out to her, and helped her to sit up.

“Wait a moment, I’ll find something to clean you up,” he told her, as he reached for his jeans and underwear.

Olivia shook her head. “Just hand me my knickers and tights, please.”

“Olivia.”

“James, it doesn’t matter,” she replied, holding her hand out to him.

**~*007*~**

Kincade watched James pick up Emma’s undergarments, and hand them to her.

“I want you to promise me something.” He heard James say, as he and Emma pulled their clothing on.

“What?” Kincade could hear the wariness in her voice.

“If I tell you to make a break for it, you go. No questions. You go with Kincade through the tunnel. We’ve left his truck out there behind the chapel. You get in it, and you get as far away from here as you can.”

Emma shook her head. “No. James.”

“Olivia, please,” James pleaded, and turned to face her. “I know you were an excellent agent, but it’s been many years since you’ve been in the field. I need you to trust my instincts as much as I have always trusted yours.”

Emma sighed.

“Please,” James asked again. “I need to know you’re safe. Silva’s twisted, and I can’t bear the thought of what he’ll do to you if he finds you.”

Kincade saw him lift his hand to cup her cheek.

“For me.”

“You don’t play fair.”

“I learned from the master.”

Kincade heard Emma snort, then watched as she nodded. “All right,” she said. “I promise.”

“Thank you,” James said, then pulled her into his arms.

James pressed a kiss into Emma’s white hair, and Kincade could see a small measure of relief in the younger man’s eyes as he held her close.

“I love you, James.”

“I love you, too, Olivia.” Kincade listened to the exchange with a lump in his throat.

This wasn’t just some affair he’d been witness to, he realized. It wasn’t just sex. They truly loved each other.

“I promise I will not let anything happen to you.”

“I know you won’t.” Emma lifted her head from James’ chest, and gazed up at him. It was the same promise he’d made the day before. She believed him then, and she believed him now. He would do everything within his abilities to protect her. “When all this is over, when we’ve stopped Silva…” Her voice trailed off as James nodded.

“You and me.”

“Somewhere warm.”

Kincade saw James grin, then heard Emma laugh.

“You have a one-track mind, James.”

James merely chuckled in response as he nodded, his grin growing wider. He reached up to cradle her cheek once more, then lowered his head.

The kiss they shared was a gentle one, much more sedate than the ones he had witnessed already. It lingered for several minutes, and when it ended, James feathered soft kisses to her cheeks, nose and eyelids, before pressing a lingering kiss to her forehead.

He murmured her name, whispering his love to her once again.

Emma responded in kind, then raised her head. “We should…”

“Yeah. Kincade should be on his way back also.”

That was his cue, Kincade realized, and quietly stepped away from the doorway. Making his way back to the front door, he carefully opened it, then stepped outside, pulling it shut behind him. He counted to ten, then opened the door, and stepped back into the manor just as James and Emma were walking out of the parlour.

They were, he noticed with a small smile, holding hands.

“Everything secure?” James asked.

“Aye,” Kincade replied. “As much as they can be. The dogs will be our first indication of anyone on the grounds.”

“Good.”

“Now all we can do is wait,” Emma said.

**~*007*~**

Olivia stared down at the gun in her hands, as she sat on the sofa, her elbows resting on her knees. The euphoric feeling she’d had only fifteen minutes earlier after having made love to James had faded quickly as the reality of their situation reared its ugly head once again.

A situation that was entirely her fault.

“I fucked this up, didn’t I?”

“No. You did your job.”

Olivia glanced up at James as he turned to look at her.

There was no blame in his eyes; not like there had been in Silva’s.

She sighed.

Regret was unprofessional, she told herself, but right now she was having a hard time believing it.

She knew Silva would come at them with everything he had, and that they were pitifully outmanned and outgunned.

Olivia trusted James. Trusted that he would do everything he could to keep her safe, even sacrificing himself if the need arose. She just prayed it would not come to that.

“I read your obituary of me.”

She focused on him again, pushing the morbid thoughts aside, recognizing that he was trying to distract her. “And?”

“Appalling.”

“Yeah, I knew you’d hate it. I did call you an exemplar of British fortitude.”

“That bit was all right,” he quipped with a small smirk.

Olivia allowed a hint of a smile to show. Damn, but she loved him.

Before she could reply, the dogs started barking.

She sat up straighter, and gripped her gun tighter, as James turned back to the window, shifting the rifle in his hands.

“You ready?”

Olivia glanced across the room to where Kincade had taken up position in the other window.

“I was ready before you were born, son.”

No, Kincade, Olivia thought, you’re not as ready as you think you are. Not for this.

She looked back to James.

He gave her a brief, reassuring smile as he moved past her, heading out front to the Aston.

But, dear god, please let him be.

**~*007*~**

She woke with a low groan, her hip throbbing painfully as she shifted in an attempt to find a more comfortable position.

“Shh… easy…” A familiar timbre soothed her.

Her eyes fluttered open, and in the dim light she found herself looking up into James’ handsome face.

“Welcome back,” he said quietly, brushing the backs of his fingers against her cheek.

Olivia hummed softly, and gave him a small smile.

“Wha…” She began, then broke into a fit of coughing as her extremely dry throat got the best of her.

“Easy… easy,” James said, as he scrambled to his feet. “Here, take a sip,” he told her moments later, holding a glass in front of her and placing a straw to her lips.

She took a small, tentative sip, then another, and then another, sighing with relief as the cool water soothed her throat.

“Better?”

“Yes,” Olivia croaked, then indicated with a look that she wanted some more water.

James brought the straw back to her lips. “To answer your question, you died in my arms in the chapel, but I managed to revive you. Mallory showed up with a team, and we medevaced you to the nearest hospital, where the doctors removed bullet and stone fragments from your hip.”

Olivia felt herself flush with shame at the pointed look he gave her. She hadn’t told him she’d been shot because she hadn’t wanted to distract him.

“I know why you didn’t tell me,” James continued. “And believe me, we will have that conversation at a later date. Right now, I am just relieved to see you awake, and to know you’re going to be all right.”

She nodded, then asked, “How long?”

“Two days. You lost a lot of blood, and the doctor told me she very nearly lost you on the table,” James replied. “But thankfully you’re a stubborn woman.”

Olivia snorted, then smiled and said in a quiet voice, “I have a lot to live for.”

His expression grew soft. “Yes you do,” he agreed, as he leaned forward, and brushed a tender kiss to her lips. “I’m going to go let the doctor know you’re awake.”

Olivia shook her head.

“Olivia?”

“Don’t go.”

“I’m just going to get the doctor.”

“No. She can check me over later. Right now, I would just like you to hold me.”

James smiled. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she replied. “I want to feel your arms around me. You’ll just have to help me onto my side.”

He nodded.

Slowly and with careful, gentle guidance, James helped Olivia roll onto her right side, then shifted her over on the small hospital bed so that he could climb in with her.

Deep, contented sighs echoed in the small room as James curled his body around hers. He carefully draped his left arm around her waist, and curled his right one beneath both their heads.

“Better?” he asked, kissing the smooth skin behind her ear.

Olivia covered his hand with hers where it rested on her stomach, and laced their fingers together. “Much.”

**~*007*~**

Kincade glanced at the man standing beside him, and was surprised to see him smiling.

“You know.”

Mallory glanced at the old gamekeeper, and nodded. “Yes. I… yes, I know.”

Kincade regarded him for a moment, then grinned. “You happened upon them once before, too, didn’t you?”

To his great amusement, Mallory’s ears began to redden.

“You did?”

Kincade nodded. “To say it caught me by surprise would be an understatement, especially as I was hoping to woo the lass myself. But it’s quite obvious where her heart lies.”

“Yes. Yes it is,” Mallory agreed. “And now, with her retirement, perhaps they can finally take their relationship out of the shadows.”

**~*007*~**

“So, somewhere warm?”

Olivia smiled, and snuggled back against James’ chest. “Yes. I don’t care where, so long as it’s just the two of us, and there’s lots of warmth and sunshine. No more shadows. For either of us.”


End file.
